Trunk.



E. W. HAWLBY.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION nun NOV. 26, 1910.

1,012,354. Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

EUGENE W. HAWLEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

Application filed November 26, 1910. Serial No. 594,278.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE \V. HAWLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trunks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

lhe object of my invention is to provide means for automatically looking a trunk tray in an upright position.

A further object of the invention is to so construct and arrange the locking means that the tray may be unlocked prior to swinging it down without the necessity of the operator reaching substantially below the level of the top of the open trunk lid.

Another object of the invention is to so construct and arrange the locking device that it will operate preferably by gravity.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trunk embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the tray showing the locking levers retracted. Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the hinges for the tray.

(1 is the body of the trunk. b is the lid, hinged in the usual manner to the body. 0 is the upper tray which is hinged at the upper edge of the rear wall of the trunk. Preferably the hinge connection is such that the tray may be detached from the trunk body. Such a hinge connection is shown in Fig. 3, in which 03 represents an eye-plate riveted to the rear wall of the trunk body, immediately beneath its upper edge; while f represents a hook, secured to the rear wall of the tray, and adapted to engage the eye-plate. By means of this construction, the rear of the tray is supported, and at the same time the tray can be swung upwardly, as upon a hinge.

To the bottom of the tray are pivoted a pair of levers g. Each lever is located near the end edge of the tray bottom, and extends between the front and rear edges of the tray bottom. Each lever is pivoted at it near its rear end, that is, substantially in the rear of its center of gravity. Each lever extends through a yoke i. This yoke extends longitudinally of the tray bottom, and is located in front of the pivot h.

The arms of the yoke form stops adapted to limit the movement of the lever on its pivot in respectively opposite directions. The outer arm of each yoke is located in such a position that when the lever is swung against the same, the center of gravity of the lever will still be farther from the edge of the tray bottom than the levcrs pivot. lVith such an arrangement it will be understood that, when the tray is swung up on its hinges, each lever will swing away from the outer arm of the corresponding yoke, whereby its rear or lower end will be caused to swlng out toward or beyond the end edge of the tray bottom into the position shown in Fig. 1.

On the rear or lower end of each lever is an outwardly extending projection is, which is adapted, when the lower or rear end of the lever swings out, as before described, to extend over the end wall of the trunk body. hen the levers assume this position, it is obvious that the tray will be locked in its upright position. Each lever is prevented from moving beyond the position shown in Fig. 1, by means of the inner arm of the corresponding yoke, and also by means of a stop Z on the rear or lower end of the lever, said stop projecting beyond the projection k, and having a face or shoulder which abuts against the inner face of the end wall of the tray below its upper edge.

When it is desired to drop the tray, all that it is necessary to do is for the operator to move the upper or front ends of the levers out toward the end edges of the tray bottom, by which means the projections in will be drawn in until they clear the inner faces of the end walls of the trunk body. This can be done while the operator stands upright. As soon as the levers are thus retracted, the tray may be swung down into its normal position.

The construction described is effective not only to hold the tray in an upright position, but also to prevent the top of the trunk closing until the automatic levers are released. The lock is extremely simple, in that no springs or other devices liable to get out of order are necessary and in its locking operation it works wholly automatically. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to a construction in which gravity is relied upon to operate the locking lever, except in those claims in which such mode of operation is required.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. I11 a trunk, the combination with a trunk body, of a tray hinged thereto, and a lever extending along the tray bottom and pivoted thereto at one side of its center of gravity, the lower or inner end of said lever extending adjacent to one edge of the tray, whereby said end tends by gravity to swing out, in a direction parallel to the plane of extension of the tray bottom, over the end wall of the trunk body when the tray is lifted.

2. In a trunk, the combination with a trunk body, of a tray hinged thereto, a lever extending along the tray bottom, means, including the pivoting of the lever, tending to swing the inner or lower end thereof over the end wall of the trunk body when the tray is lifted, whereby the tray is locked in its upright position, the other end of said lever extending toward and terminating near the upper or outer edge of the tray.

3. In a trunk, the combination with a trunk body, of a tray hinged thereto, a lever extending along the tray bottom, means, including the pivoting of the lever, tending to swing one end thereof over the end wall of the trunk body when the tray is lifted, whereby the tray is locked in its upright position, the other end ofsaid lever extending toward and terminating near the upper or outer edge of the tray, whereby the lever may be retracted from its locking position, and a stop limiting the extent of movement of the tray in its locking movement.

4. In a trunk, the combination with a trunk body, of a tray hinged thereto, a lever extending along the bottom of the tray near one end edge thereof and pivoted thereto at one side of its center of gravity, and adapted, when the lower end of the lever is swung outward, to overlie the end wall of the trunk body, and a stop limiting the movement of the lever in the opposite direction and so located that when the lever abuts against it,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

the center of gravity of the lever will lie farther from the end edge of the tray than the levers pivot, whereby the lower end of the lever tends to swing outward.

5. In a trunk, the combination with a trunk body, of a tray hinged thereto, a pair of levers extending along the bottom of the tray and each pivoted thereto at the rear of its center of gravity, a stop limiting the movement of the lever in opposition to gravity when the tray is lifted and so located that when the lever abuts against it, the center of gravity of the lever will lie farther from the end edge of the tray than the levers )ivot, and a stop limiting the movement 0 the lever in the opposite direction but permitting it to swing far enough to cause the rear or lower end of the lever to overlie the end wall of the trunk body.

(3. In a trunk, the combination with a trunk body, of a tray hinged to the body, a pair of levers extendin along the bottom of the tray between the front and rear edges thereof, and pivoted to the tray bottom at the rear of their respective centers of gravity, yokes, secured to the tray bottom, through which said levers respectively extend, the outer arm of each yoke limiting the swinging movement of the correspond ing lever in one direction and being so lo cated that when the lever abuts against it the center of gravity of the lever will lie farther from the end edge of the tray bottom than the levers pivot whereby when the tray is lifted the rear or lower ends of the levers swing outward by gravity, and a locking projection on the rear or lower end of each lever adapted to overlie the top of the end wall of the trunk body when the lever so swings.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, on this 21st day of November, 1910.

EUGENE \V. HAWLEY.

Witnesses M. M. HAMILTON, E. E. VVALL.

Washington, D. G. 

